Breaking the Habit
by IThoughtMYJokesWereBad
Summary: Wufei has a nasty habit that is affecting his whole family. What happens when they conspire to make him stop?


**A/N: Miss me? Here's another drabble and another first for me. WufeixSally. Enjoy!**

Sally pulls off her coat and immediately her nostrils are overwhelmed with the strong scent of smoke. The burnt tobacco smell wafts up from her jacket where it rests on the back of her desk chair. Picking up the jacket, Sally holds a sleeve to her nose, sniffing for confirmation. Yep, there's no denying it; the smell is definitely coming from her coat. Fearing the worst, she grabs a section of hair, putting it just under her nose. Her hair even smells like it. She thinks she might be sick.

It has been years since she lived with all the guerillas who smoked like fireplaces. Where could this smell have come from?

Sydney, Sally's secretary, bounces in after lightly rapping on the door. "Good morning, Dr. Chang," she smiles. That's when the culprit pops into Sally's head—_Wufei. _Sally returns the gesture, replying with a good morning of her own. "Here are some files for the day. Your three p.m. cancelled, so that hour is free for you until further notice."

"Thanks, Sydney," Sally says, taking the aforementioned files from the blonde's hands. She turns to leave, but Sally gets a random idea. "Sydney?" she calls. The young woman turns, a question in her face. "Could I ask you to do a weird favor for me?" the doctor asks, fearing Sydney's reaction; the two might be cordial, but Sally didn't know if this was pushing it too far.

Sydney's grey eyes widen just slightly. "Sure," she drawls out, adding syllables to the word that ordinarily do not exist.

Sally stands, walking around her desk to the other blonde. "What does this smell like?" she asks, handing over the jacket.

She gives her employer a weird look, almost asking with her eyes if Sally is serious. The doctor nods encouragingly. Sydney slowly raises the jacket to her nose, taking a whiff. "Um," she says, and Sally can tell she's trying to find a nice way to say it.

"Smoke?" she prompts, raising her sandy eyebrows.

The younger blonde nods. "Yes, ma'am."

Sally thanks her secretary and sends her back to her desk. Once she is gone, Sally plops down in her comfy chair, wondering what she is going to do about this. Even as each of her clients comes into her office, Sally is overwhelmed with a sense of paranoia, constantly sniffing her clothes or hair. That's when she decides she has to do something about this.

oOoOoOo

Sally coughs, waving a hand in front of her face. She and Wufei sit outside on one of the many balconies of their home. The children are inside doing homework and playing, and the two adults just want a breather. But Sally can't really get a breath in without hacking up a lung. "Do you really have to do that?" she asks with one hand over her mouth as she nods to the smoking cigarette perched between two of Wufei's fingers.

He shrugs, taking one last, long drag before snuffing it out in an ashtray. "Sorry. Long day at work," he apologizes. Despite his rough exterior in public, Wufei acts with some emotion at home with Sally and the children. He is human, after all.

Sally nods half-heartedly, standing up and going back inside to start dinner. A few minutes later, Wufei walks in. He lightly kisses his wife on the cheek, offering to help with dinner. He aids in preparing the salad while Sally finishes setting the table. Once she put the casserole in the oven, she excuses herself, leaving her husband in the kitchen.

Quietly, she sneaks into their children's rooms, pulling Li away from his Xbox to Fen's room. Looking over her shoulder, Sally silently closes the door to their seven-year-old's room, putting a finger to her lips. Both of the children give their mother curious looks, even Li who is still annoyed that he was pulled away from his game. Feeling like she is leading a conspiracy, Sally whispers, "Look, we need to talk about something important."

Li plops down in a fuchsia beanbag chair. "Is it about Dad's smoking?" he asks, beating his mother to the punch.

Before she can say anything in reply, Fen speaks up. "Really?" she asks. "I hope so. It's so gross; I wish he'd stop."

Sally can feel her mouth hanging wide open. Never would she have thought her children would pay attention to it, but then again, should she really be surprised with whom they have for parents? "Yes, it's about Dad's smoking. I think we should talk to him at dinner; try to convince him to quit."

Both are more than eager to conspire. Quickly Sally goes downstairs, so as not to start suspicion from Wufei. When she gets to the kitchen, he is pulling the casserole out of the oven. Dinner's ready.

oOoOoOo

Everyone's plates are half-empty when Sally can't take it any longer. "Wufei, we need to talk," she starts, putting her fork down.

Her husband looks up, a hint of fright in his gaze. Black eyes dart from Sally to each of the children, almost as if he is questioning the appropriateness of this conversation with the children present. But Fen backs her mother up. "Yeah, Daddy, we do," she says, mimicking Sally's action and putting her fork down. Li crosses his arms, trying to be as intimidating as a fifteen-year-old boy can.

"What is this about?" Wufei asks, his anxiety evident his voice.

Deciding on a forward approach, Sally dives straight in. "We want you to quit smoking."

The blonde woman's trained eye notices the relief that seems to wash over Wufei's entire being. (It was much later that she find out that he had thought she was leaving him. As if.) Wufei tries to speak but all that comes out is incoherent stutters.

"Daddy, smoking is gross. It stinks and makes a mess." Wufei's eyes turn downward to his plate at his little girl's words, but he still doesn't speak.

"Not to mention, it is terrible for your career, Wufei. I know the other pilots and Une have told you countless times to stop smoking, and you'll quit here and there, but it never lasts. You're ruining your lungs and throwing away your career. You can't honestly expect to do extreme physical activity with terrible lungs," Sally says, hoping to strike home by pointing out his career's endangerment. She tries to stay in wife-mode and refrain from entering doctor-mode.

There is silence as Wufei thinks over her and Fen's words. He opens his mouth to speak, but doesn't get a chance.

"Dad," Li says, speaking for the first time all dinner. "I have been told over and over how bad smoking is for you. You even tell me yourself to never pick up the habit," his voice shakes a little. "It can make you sick, cause cancer, shorten your life—everything bad. Your job is already dangerous." Li pauses, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. "Dad," he says, his voice watery, "I don't want you to die."

Through a film of tears, Sally sees Wufei flinch in his seat. He rubs his eyes before turning his gaze back up to his son. For a few moments, all he does it stare. Finally, he acts; Wufei pushes his chair away from the table, leaving the room. All Sally can do is stare, bewildered at how he could do such a thing, especially after what Li said.

But a few minutes later, Wufei comes back. His hands are full of ashtrays and packages of cigarettes. He ambles over to the trashcan with purpose, throwing all of the objects in the bin. Turning back to look at everyone at the table, Wufei reaches in his pocket and takes out a final pack of cigarettes; he makes sure everyone sees it before dropping in straight into the bin. He comes back to the table and grabs his wife's hand.

With finality, he declares, "I quit."


End file.
